UNA APROXIMACIÓN CUANTITATIVA AL DESARROLLO DE LAS ARTES MARCIALES MIXTAS (MMA) PROFESIONALES EN ESPAÑA Y BRASIL

The Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a global phenomenon with growing spread all over the world but unequally developed from a geographical point of view. The main aim of this study was to know the professional MMA events held in Brazil and Spain during the years 2016 and 2017. For this purpose the website Sherdog, where most information about professional MMA events can be found, was screened. The results showed a total of 921 registered events, mostly in Brazil (94.2%). The growth of the number of events between 2016 and 2017 was of 24.9% in Brazil (386 vs. 482) and 53.4% in Spain (21 vs. 32). There was also a greater territorial xtension of MMA events in both countries, which in the case of Brazil already reaches the great majority of its territory. These existing differences can be explained in terms of the tradition and trajectory of both countries in the world of MMA. Brazil has been a wellknown country in the history of this modality, while Spain has recently begun to show interest in MMA, which seems to follow a global wave of interest in this new combat sport.